Aged to Perfection

Like Fine Wine

In 1985 the warm-hearted film Cocoon hit movie theaters, portraying senior citizens who still had the desire to live life to the fullest. The elderly cast was shown excelling at swimming, running and all things athletic, thanks to a force that was tied to a group of aliens. The movie was a box office bonanza and seemed to instill a newfound drive in people who were of post-retirement age. Coincidentally or not, a boom in senior citizens joining running clubs started around this time and the number has increased almost every year since.

Carnevale had been a standout for Georgetown, Gibbons a star marathoner, Rios famous for running across the Sahara Desert, and Feldman a consistent winner in long-distance races.

The men wasted no time in reclaiming their racing accolades, and, judging by the number of trophies won by these four men in the past two decades, the Ash Can Runners are adding plenty of "gold" to their golden years.

Fine Wine

"Think of us as a fine bottle of wine," Gibbons says. "We only get better with age."

Some impressive numbers are associated with the running quartet. The total team age is 344 years. Combined, they have run more than 3,000 races, finished 160 marathons, and won more than 2,500 awards.

The foursome were all members of the New York Road Runners (NYRR) when they met and, because the field was limited at the time, found themselves dominating their age groups at practically every race.

"We were all up at podiums at the same time for races because there weren’t too many people in our age group racing," Feldman says. "The four of us pretty much dominated. Once a year we would meet at Club Night, and we would all sit together and we became very good friends. We’re all World War II vets and we just love to get together and talk and reminisce about the old days."

One of those conversations led to the bunch joking around about how these old geezers could teach a thing or two to the younger generation of runners and get some well-deserved respect.

"We were kidding about how we’re supposed to be so washed up, but here we are setting records, and I said, ‘Lets call ourselves the Ash Can Runners because they talk as if we should be thrown in the ash can,’" Carnevale says. "We were all so interested in running and we thought it would be a good idea to start the group."

The group is not exclusive to these four men. While they say that they do not actively seek additional members to their club, anyone who does race with them has to meet one strict requirement: "They must be at least 80," Rios says.

The Youngster

Former Olympic marathoner Ted Corbitt runs with them at times, and, at 85, has the distinction of being the youngest member of the group.

"At my age, you don’t get to be the youngest at much," he says. "This is a great bunch of guys, and I’m always thrilled to race with them."

Corbitt, who has run 200-plus-mile ultramarathons in his 80s, takes part in the Ash Can Runners each spring at the PowerBar 5 Miler in New York. The participation of the full group each year has been one of the defining characteristics of the race in recent years.

"It’s one of the things that people always look forward to about this race," says Richard Finn, director of public relations at the NYRR.

Having been a founding member and the first president of the NYRR, Corbitt feels it’s important for events such as this to bring recognition to the older generation in the running world.

"You don’t stop setting goals or giving up on dreams just because you get older," he says. "The Ash Can Runners are inspirational to any man or woman out there who wants to pick up running at an old age."

The Old Guy

On the opposite end of the age spectrum, 93-year-old Abe Weintraub—the oldest of the group—races as a member of the Ash Cans, and, although he has been limited to walking races in recent years, he still enjoys staying active in the running community.

He didn’t start running until he was 80 and did so with the hopes of pushing his wife Ruth in her wheelchair in the New York City Marathon.

"My wife had Alzheimer’s and I used to walk with her eight to 10 hours a day; to Coney Island and all over New York," Weintraub says. "I started training with the NYRRC, and I wanted to run a marathon for her."

He did, and has successfully finished 10 marathons to date. Weintraub also holds the world 90–94 marathon record with a 7:25:12 set during the 2000 New York City Marathon. He tries to race with the Ash Can Runners at least once a year.

"They like to call themselves the old timers, and I like racing with them," Weintraub says. "Of course, I was faster than them all."

"We do needle each other about who beats who and by how much," Carnevale adds. "We’re always joking with one another and trying to get under one another’s skin, but it’s always in a fun way."

"Vince has the most leg speed because he was a track man," Feldman says. "The others are more marathoners and distance runners. Vince had one of the best coaches in the country; the other three of us didn’t bother with that and just ran on natural ability. We probably could have done better if we were properly coached. We were just out there having a good time and gave it our best."

Mellowing with Age

Feldman says that the hard competition stopped about five years ago as "senior moments" and injuries have made for a mellower atmosphere among the group.

"It used to be very competitive between us as Vince, Willie and I used to duke it out every Sunday at a race," says Feldman, referring to the trio taking part in their Millrose Club events. "We were always friends but we wouldn’t give an inch. We still race but not as fierce rivals."

"We all have excellent senses of humor, and we tell lies about what we used to do," Rios says. "It’s funny because the older we get and the longer we do this, the bigger the stories get and the better we always turn out to be."

Not that fish tales are really necessary when looking at all they have accomplished.

Carnevale, who has competed in more than 500 races since turning 70, owns the New York City Marathon record for 73-year-olds, setting the mark in 1989 with a time of 3:54:10. His best marathon time was a 3:38:42 that same year at the New Jersey Waterfront Marathon, a time that would have qualified a 55-year-old for the Boston Marathon. He sites these as some of his best moments over the past 15 years.

You need to flash back to 1938 for his favorite non-senior memory in the racing world. Racing for Georgetown, Carnevale finished second to Leslie MacMitchell—famous for never having lost a collegiate competition—in the IC4A cross country championships. "That was the best race I’ve ever run," Carnevale says. "That’s one memory that I won’t ever forget."

Gibbons also has been prominent in marathons since turning 70, running several in the three-hour range and completing more than 50 in the past 15 years.

Feldman has won numerous NYRR age-group runner of the year awards since beginning to run competitively at age 62 and has run more than 22 marathons.

Rios has run from Los Angeles to New York, raced from Montreal to New York, and competed in more than 40 marathons since turning 60.

"Those numbers aren’t too bad for people our ages," says Feldman. "I don’t think there’s another over-80 group in the country that could have competed with us."

Motivating the Masses

As for inspiring others to run—including a group of over-70-year-old women of the NYRR who are trying to form their own unofficial club for senior women—Feldman believes that the Ash Can Runners is a great motivator.

"It’s not an organized thing, but I’m a volunteer with the Road Runners Club, and I try to enlist as many veteran runners as I can because I love the sport and I assume the others do as well," Feldman says. "I see older people all the time at the [Central] Park when I run, and I try to talk to whoever is interested in learning about events."

"There are a lot of older people who want to try a marathon for the first time, but they are reluctant because they are venturing into the unknown," Carnevale says. "I always try to take some time and explain to them that they can do it if they do their homework and train—and in almost every case they did. Invariably they would come back and say it’s the experience of their life."

The Ash Can Runners will run as a complete crew again this April at the PowerBar 5 Miler, and they would love to see more seniors out there competing and following their advice.

When you consider the amount of miles that have been logged between the members of the Ash Can Runners, it’s advice that goes a long, long way.

Keith Loria is a freelance writer based in Westchester. A running enthusiast who has been writing about the sport for five years, he can often be seen running around the Central Park reservoir.